THE NIGHT is an effective single location horror film
by Dan Scully, Staff Writer
There’s a lot to like about The Night, and if not for a third act that sags, it borders on great for the majority of its runtime.
THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC will dare you to look away
by Dan Scully, Staff Writer
Even though a lot of it does feel like a “greatest hits” reel of modern horror convention, the hits come so hard and so fast that it’s pointless to lament that they aren’t as fresh as they could be
Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story
by Dan Scully, Staff Writer
Lennox Lewis, the three-time heavyweight champion who bested just about everyone, and did so with a level of class and precision rarely seen in the sport.
Read MoreGemini Man
Directed by Ang Lee
Starring Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and another Will Smith
MPAA rating; PG-13 for violence and action throughout, and brief strong language
Running time: 1 hour and 57 minutes
by Daniel Scully
There are two immediately disappointing things about Gemini Man. First, since the film was shot in 4K IMAX 3D at 120 frames per second, it would stand to reason that theaters would be equipped to project it as intended. They are not. In fact, of the thousands of screens releasing the film this weekend, only fifteen in the entire country have the capability to do so. None of them are near me. Secondly, Will Smith’s latest does not feature a new remix of his hit song Just the Two Of Us, making for the biggest missed opportunity in the history of human existence. A true shame that just 19 years into it, the era once branded the Willennium has fizzled considerably for the no longer fresh prince.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Directed by Chad Stahelski
Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, and Ian McShane
MPAA rating: R for pervasive strong violence, and some language
Running time: 2 hours and 10 minutes
by Dan Scully
The downside of the John Wick trilogy is that each film is so impeccably crafted that it’s hard not to develop resentment toward the glut of poorly shot, hyper-cut action schlock that passes for mainstream cinema these days. No, I’m not about to be one of those “they don’t make them like they used to” types but we have reached a point where, unless a film is expressly interested in showcasing stuntwork, we can assume that much of it will be unintelligible, merely suggesting an action sequence while hiding the fact the one hasn’t occurred. In things like Captain America: Civil War — perhaps the most recent example of action which has been cut to indecipherable pieces — the factory farmed nature of the Marvel machine is to blame. With that much star power to corral for a film that has a strict deadline, there’s simply not much time for rehearsal. Especially not when it comes to the action. Better to get the footage and worry about how it looks later, right?
Read MoreFirst Man
Directed by Damien Chazelle
Starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Jason Clarke
Running time: 2 hours and 21 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 for some thematic content involving peril, and brief strong language
by Dan Scully (a regular contributor at Cinema Seventy-Six)
Marketing for First Man touts Damien Chazelle’s latest as the story of humankind’s first trip to the moon. The fateful day way back in 1969 when the dreams of John F. Kennedy came to fruition and we put a couple of meat bags on that giant ball of cheese in the sky! Before the film started, I pictured men in short sleeved button-up shirts with thin black ties and thick framed glasses, yelling into headsets, gesturing wildly, and ultimately cheering as their giant wall monitor confirms what we in the audience already know: Man has landed on the moon!
Read MoreVenom
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams and Marcella Bragio
Running time: 1 hour and 52 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language
by Dan Scully (a regular contributor at Cinema Seventy-Six)
As Disney works to take ownership of every intellectual property imaginable, fans of nerdy things are given as many reasons to rejoice as to worry. On the one hand, Star Wars has never been in better shape (literally - The Last Jedi is the best of the whole series, fight me), but on the other, the MCU is growing increasingly homogenous in style. As more entries in the ever-expanding franchise come to fruition, it becomes easier and easier to see the mechanics of our great entertainment machine at work. And as Disney takes great pains to create the most broadly appealing products possible, rather than taking creative risks that they can most certainly afford, it pleases me greatly to see Sony trying to undercut their brand in whatever ways possible.
Read MoreMission: Impossible - Fallout
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg
Running time 2 hours 27 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13
by Sandy DeVito, Rosalie Kicks, Dan Scully
The Tommy C. Appreciation Club, or TCAC, solemnly swears to watch and appreciate all theatrical
performances by Tom Cruise then recap them, round-table style. In this edition, the Moviejawn crew embarks on a bonkers adventure with our pal Tommy in Mission: Impossible - Fallout.
The General Spy Jawns
by Daniel Scully
Most people don’t look at a movie like The General and categorize it as a spy movie. And why would they? Buster Keaton’s 1926 silent classic may be considered a masterwork from the early days of cinema, but nothing about it rings of espionage. Anyone who has seen it knows that it’s just a long showcase of visual gags designed to exhibit the technical ingenuity of the filmmakers, and as the last entry in Keaton’s independent filmography before moving into a tumultuous relationship with the studio system, it could even be argued that it’s the first legitimate stunt reel ever made. If anything, it’s a relic from such an early time in Hollywood that it almost predates genre, existing in the minds of many viewers as a “silly silent movie that I’m supposed to respect because film nerds tell me I should.” And while it’s not not that, it really is so much more…
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